Children's Home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The registered manager has been in post since June 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2017 Full Good 13/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 2

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 07/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it and notify HMCI of any revision and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a)(b)) 07/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)) 07/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(1)(2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home includes the manager and a record of the actual rotas worked. 07/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one young person has moved out of the home and another young person has moved in. The home remains as a solo placement. Transitions were well planned and the young people were fully involved in the planning and preparation process. One young person was present throughout the inspection and talked to the inspectors about her care and experiences. The young person said, ‘The manager here is fair but firm so I know where I stand, and the staff are really good. I like living here and there is nothing I would change.’ The young person’s experience and progress while living in the home are very good. She benefits from individualised and exceptionally well-planned care, provided by an enthusiastic, committed staff team and a knowledgeable manager. Since moving to the home the young person has made exceptional progress in her education. Prior to living in the home, the young person had refused to attend school for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

several months. Her attendance is now recorded as 100 per cent. The school report for the autumn term states,’[Name]’s confidence at positively conversing with her peers is progressing well. She now contributes well in lessons and is polite and respectful in her manner.’ This is a significant improvement. The staff and registered manager’s nurturing and caring relationships with the young person were observed throughout the inspection. Their open and friendly manner has helped the young person to feel at home and to understand that staff want what is best for her. The young person talked positively about all the staff. She said, ‘If I was unhappy, which I’m not, I can talk to anyone here and they will listen.’ Staff promote the emotional, psychological and physical health needs of the young person. Staff complete direct work sessions with her to ensure that she understands the importance of maintaining her own health and well-being. When required, staff have

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

worked in partnership with general and specialist health services. This means that the young person has appropriate support to meet her health needs. Staff undertake regular and effective one-to-one sessions with the young person. These are detailed and address a range of topics, including going missing from care, internet safety, risk factors in the community, and health and well-being. The young person is provided with opportunities to add her own comments to her care records and also to raise any concerns she may have. An example of this is when the young person informed the manager that she was unhappy with the in-house process regarding the young person’s meetings. The manager took immediate action to change the format of these meetings, which are now child-centred with realistic outcomes. Staff support the young person to maintain and rebuild relationships with members of her family. Staff will take and collect the young person for contact. They take this

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

opportunity to meet different family members and develop relationships with the important people in the young person’s life. They work sensitively with the young person and her family to try to overcome any difficulties and improve relationships. Although staff work hard to promote a warm, nurturing environment, parts of the physical environment and fabric of the building require work. This is a potential hazard Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 4 to the young person and staff. For example, mould and mildew were evident in the bathroom and the room smelled of damp. The garden area also requires attention, with a broken fence, overgrown trees and steps that require replacing. A requirement is made to address this.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Safeguarding young people is a key priority of the staff team and central to their practice. The young person is fully supported in keeping herself safe. Sufficient levels of supervision both inside and outside the home recognise her vulnerabilities. Staff use a proactive approach to ensure that the young person is safeguarded effectively. They understand their roles and responsibilities and act within clear procedures when required. This means the safety and well-being of the young person are considered of high importance. Highly effective and meaningful partnerships between the home, police and other safeguarding professionals also promote the young person’s safety and welfare. Staff clearly know and understand the young person’s vulnerabilities and potential to engage in risky behaviours, and they manage these effectively. Professionals say that staff provide safe and nurturing care and keep them updated about all aspects of her care.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

A key strength of the home is the registered manager’s commitment to ensure that the young person and staff develop their knowledge and understanding of current risks in society. He developed a training package about a variety of topics. This included training on criminal exploitation and county lines and included information from the police. Feedback from all involved was excellent. One staff member said, ‘When I watched the video it really made me stop and think about how easy it is for young people to be targeted and trapped.’ The young person said, ‘I already knew about it [county lines], but I also learned stuff.’ The young person also completed staff training on health matters. She said, ‘I knew nothing about this before but now I understand the signs and symptoms and what to look out for.’ This is an excellent example of outstanding practice. The young person has taken increased responsibility for making the right choices, while

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

remaining protected from harm. The development of the young person’s awareness is apparent, because missing from home episodes have significantly decreased and there has been a dramatic reduction in incidents of verbal aggression in the home. Staff provide guidance to the young person about the difference between appropriate friendships and contact with inappropriate individuals. This helps to protect the young person from exploitation because she is learning to avoid the dangers of unsafe relationships. Staff manage the young person’s behaviour exceptionally well. It is an environment in which praise and warmth are central to staff practice. Staff praise achievement, whatever this may be, and they constantly encourage good behaviour. The young person is learning skills such as listening and negotiation to promote her views and feelings, and staff provide a safe base for angry and emotional outbursts to be explored.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

Should the young person behave in a negative manner, the registered manager and staff use restorative practice. This provides the young person with an opportunity to discuss her behaviours and why they were not appropriate. Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 5 There have been no allegations made in the home, but staff confidently outlined the procedures that they would follow should any safeguarding matter come to light.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a suitably qualified and committed manager. He registered with Ofsted in June 2018. He has considerable experience and relevant qualifications, including the Level 5 diploma in leadership and management. He is extremely child-centred and has high expectations of the staff team to consistently provide a good quality of care for the young person. A competent deputy manager supports the registered manager. All staff spoken with during the inspection reported high levels of satisfaction with the management support that they receive. This includes regular supervision and team meetings to review practice and identify areas for development, including training. There is a detailed training matrix in place, which includes mandatory training in safeguarding, first aid, medication and managing behaviours. All staff are required to attend all training programmes, and the managers evaluate staff members’ knowledge bases, through

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

supervision and team meetings. All staff are qualified. Although the registered manager has updated the home’s statement of purpose and sent it to the company safeguarding lead, it has not been provided to HMCI. A requirement is raised to ensure that this is addressed. Some of the records in the home require improvement, including the rosters. These currently do not provide the actual hours that the registered manager has worked. Although staff maintain records about the young person, these often provide the same information. On occasions, staff have updated some records but not others, which can lead to confusion. Furthermore, staff do not always sign and date records, especially when they have made changes. This does not always provide an accurate and up-to- date record. Although this has not impacted on the welfare of the young person, it does not always provide a detailed record for the young person of their journey through care

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

or consistently evidence their continued progress. The manager undertakes regular monitoring and has a good understanding and oversight of the home. He recognises the strengths and areas for development and took immediate action throughout the inspection to address any shortfalls identified. This monitoring is further supported by independent monthly monitoring, contributing to the oversight of the home and outcomes for young people. The manager takes effective action to respond to any shortfalls identified. He has also ensured that the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been addressed. The service has well-established networks and relationships with a range of agencies and professionals who are involved in meeting the needs of the young person. Staff work closely with teachers, social workers and health professionals as well as maintaining links with agencies with lead child protection responsibilities. Feedback from

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

all involved was very positive and they all commented on the good communication systems in place. Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St. Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspectors

Michelle Edge, social care inspection manager Jenny Brady, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1213828 8 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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